Got A Goal? Use A Strategy & Achieve It!

Do you have a strategy for your business communications?   Using one makes a world of difference.   Just look at this image for starters …

Strategies Rule! They make accomplishing goals much easier AND more achievable!

Why? Because focused thinking is used to plan the entire journey of getting from A – Z prior to beginning the journey. There is no more “guessing” as you go .. . no taking a shot with fingers crossed! You have a directive, a guide!

A great example of the difference between having a strategy and not having one is simply when working on a jig saw puzzle! If you have ever sat down to work on one you dump out a box with 500 – 1,000 pieces and begin! I remember being very young and actually looking at each piece and trying to find a home for it by building up from the first two pieces I would “finally” find that fit together. THEN I “learned” that I could sort & group the flat edge pieces, then pieces with holes for tabs, pieces with tabs, and then sort again by color etc!  There was a plan, a strategy, to use that made it so much easier and achievable.

The next breakthrough I had in finding a GREAT strategy was in my voice and data networking career. I realized one day while reflecting, in general, on all the technology I have watched evolve and have been a part of that a MAJOR common denominator was/is the international standard of communications for computer networks. This standard was comprised of 7 layers, from the plug to the screen / output device and it was applied consistently across all the types of transmission and technologies I worked with through the years. AND it worked! It was what kept it all together and also allowed one to know where to go when things needed fixing.

I started to apply it to human communications and found a direct parallel. And why not? A human being developed these 7 layers, right! It is built upon the way our minds work in general. MORE EYE OPENING … as I studied it more and more, the standard is built upon a process that we all use subliminally for our everyday decisions … more on that another time.

As a business communication strategy it is perfect. It takes the “pieces” that are part of a marketing campaign and tightly layers them together so you cannot get off track, keeping you on the path to your goal as follows…

1. Define Your Goal
2. Who do you need to talk to for achieving goal? What are their demographics?
3. Where are they located either online & offline?
4. Based upon their locations, map the buyer journey, attract, connect, engage, convert and define umbrellas of topics needed for success at each stage of the buyer journey. (for example, CEO’s relate to profits & revenue).
5. Building on layer #4, define examples of exact messaging topics needed for success at each stage of the buyer journey. (for example, CEO’s need stats & facts showing what makes money).
6. Identify the specific medium that best presents the communications at each stage of the buyer journey … video, text image, plain text, webpage, pdf, image, slideshow, etc.
7. Execute!

These 7 layers take the mystery out of “what to post online, when, where & how!” They create an easy to follow directive. AND give those who use it great insight into their own business communications. Lots of new awareness is uncovered that can be beneficial within one’s marketing mix and beyond.  We tend to slide around on the surface of our messaging and communications … digging in deep makes us sharper and wiser!

Another benefit of these 7 layers is once learned, they can be applied to ANY goad you have!! Honest! I joke, but it’s actually true that one can use these 7 layers to have your kids do what you want them to do… or close. 🙂 You have a fighting chance, let’s say that!!

Strategies make all we do much easier. Having a plan works. Having a plan that you can rely upon is even better.

Let me know if you’d like to learn these 7 layers by choosing a real targeted goal and working together with me in implementing the 7 layers for reaching your goal. It’s the core of T H E, my program that stands for Target, Harness(the pieces), Execute. Let’s have a complementary conversation ..  contact me at 310-306-1453 or margieh@todaysway.net

Take 2021 on with focus, purpose, and success. A strategy makes that happen… one more time …. easier and more successfully!!

Be #communicationsstrong

Here’s to your communications success in 2021!

margie